Our new book Look Out Above! examines the critical soft skills required for professional success: Contribute, Write, Present, Pitch, Lead, and Advocate. We also explore the transformation process as you develop confidence and learn to trust your own judgment.
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Please see below tailored material in the area where the assessment shows you could use the most improvement.
It looks like you could use some help learning how to lead more effectively in the workplace. In many organizations, continued advancement depends on one’s ability to lead people. Leadership has its pros and cons, and isn’t for everybody. It means more recognition by senior leaders, but more scrutiny as well. Being a leader, whether you’re leading a team, heading up a project, or chairing a meeting, requires skills that we all need at one time or another.
Many leaders don’t stop to consider what their job really is, and what will be required to succeed. We offer this statement of the leader’s job, suitable for framing or writing on your bathroom mirror:
My job as a leader is to bring out the best in myself and others to unify my team, develop their skills, and achieve our goals.
Let’s break it down. To be a good leader, you’ll need to:
What do your team members want from you as their leader? Studies show that “followers” want autonomy, mastery, and purpose. They want freedom to do their work without being micromanaged, the opportunity to develop mastery of something they value, and work they deem meaningful. Many also want connectedness with others and opportunities to advance.
To meet the expectations of both your manager and team members – and to be an effective leader – you must play three primary roles: culture creator, employee developer, and driver of results. By doing so you will unify your team, develop their skills, and achieve team goals, while at the same time address team member needs of autonomy, mastery, and purpose.
Look Out Above! is here to help you develop a personal leadership style that is intentional and effective. You don’t need to follow a list of rules or adopt a certain style or lead the way the person before you did. You can come as you are, since effective leaders fit no mold. You’ll lead in a way consistent with your own style and best skills. Leadership isn’t rocket science. People have been doing it for a long time, many of them effectively. You can, too!
For a blueprint for effective leading – how to unify your team, develop team member skills, and achieve long-term goals – grab your copy of Look Out Above! and jump straight to Chapter Five. And while you have the book, check out the other chapters, too. We promise they’re worth your while.